"Out of my way, bitch!" I shoved Ally away and grabbed a tub of ice cream from the refrigerator.
"Enough, George. You're taking this too far. Stop talking to Ally like that, she'll be our family soon," Zach said sternly and I showed him my middle finger.
"I don't give a damn about-wait . . . family?"
"Yes, we're going to get married soon," Zach announced and had the audacity to grin cheekily at Ally.
"What? You think so?" I laughed dryly and licked the spoon full of strawberry ice cream. "I feel so sorry to burst your bubble, brother dear. But don't trust that bitch, she'll bail out on you at the very last second."
"I have heard enough, George. Whatever happened was in the past and you have no right to meddle into that. That was our problem, not yours. You weren't even here at that time, so quit getting mad at everyone like you're involved in this which you're clearly not," Zach snapped at me and I knew he had a valid point.
"Right." I sighed audibly in defeat and Zach quirked an eyebrow in question. My pride melted away within seconds when I knew I was wrong, so I admitted in a low voice, "You're right. I'm sorry for calling you guys names and all, I was just defending my friend. I saw him going through a dark phase because of you guys . . . Nevertheless, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did, although I didn't regret much, still I owe you an apology. Especially you Ally, I'm sorry okay."
Ally smiled ruefully and nodded, accepting like a mute doll. Zach went back to his room, pleased that I bowed in front of them. He was right though, I had no right to get mad at anybody. I wasn't involved in this mess and it was better if I stayed away. I owed an apology to Clark too, although he was an ass like usual, I didn't want him to think that I wasn't there for him when he went through shit in his abysmal life.
"Wondering about Clark?" Ally asked softly as she washed the plates in the sink.
"What? Nah," I denied with a scoff and bit my lip. A knowing smile played on her pink lips. "Actually . . . yes. I was thinking in what way I could do something for him, you know?"
"You can dress up for him? Let's put you into a nice dress and make up and get rid of these tomboyish clothes---"
"Hell no! Just because I'm being nice to you doesn't mean that you can do anything to me. I haven't worn a skirt or a dress since second grade and I won't." I crossed my arms against my chest and leaned against the counter.
"It's no big deal, George. You'll look pretty and besides, Clark really appreciated when I used to make small efforts like dressing up for him." Ally said forlornly as she proceeded to wipe the dishes, not meeting my curious gaze.
I used to admire Ally and I knew she had the potential to turn any girl into a lesbian for her. Guys would worship her. She was beautiful with long, dark hair which fell till her waist in soft, bouncy curls. Her alluring grey eyes had the slightest tinge of blue which reminded me of a peaceful sky. She had a perfectly sculpted nose which was pierced with a silver coloured ring. Her dark eyebrows arched high up which always made me imagine a narrow road on top of a lofty hill and made me want to run a toy truck over her stupendous brows.
No wonder Clark was in love with her, her beauty was ethereal.
In comparison to Ally, I was a joke. A disgrace to the entire existence of gorgeous women. I never cared about my looks, but I was always told to look up to Ally for her perfection. I did look up to her and the first time I smeared lipstick all over my lips and nearly till the chin in self-pity was because of her. Ally and I were great friends before she left for London with my brother, so everyone in the town used to compare me to her.
If only they knew she was a cheating bitch . . .
"So, will you dress up?" Ally asked, snapping me out of my trance.
I did remember that some days ago when Clark and I played chess [I didn't even know the 'c' of chess] still I challenged him that I would beat him. Of course, I didn't. According to that deal, if Clark won, he could ask me to do anything that he wanted. Of all the things in the world, he asked me to wear a dress to which I obviously refused and ran away.
"Fine, I'll dress up. Bring it on." I followed Ally to her closet and scanned the numerous dresses which she pointed at. She could make a museum out of the collection she owned. They were arranged neatly, but were crammed in her small closet space.
"These are the new ones which will fit you. Which ones do you want to try?"
"Erm . . . " I ran my hands over the several dresses until one caught my eye. Easy pick. "This one. I love yellow."
"Strange," Ally mumbled, "Strange, but I'm not surprised. It would fit you just fine. Here, go and try quick!"
Ally thrusted the yellow dress to my chest and waved me off. I stripped out of my t-shirt and jeans in the bathroom while Ally was picking out which sandals would match with the dress. I slipped into the dress, stepping out of the bathroom and she turned around to check me out.
I took a glimpse of myself in the mirror and laughed in pity. "I look like mango pulp."
"No, you look . . . nice. We just need to fix your hair and a bit of make-up here . . . " she trailed off while digging into the pile of cosmetic products on her dressing table as I watched her, amused.
After hours of plucking eyebrows [which hurt like a bitch] smoothening my frizzy, brown hair and applying light makeup, she was finally done. I stood up and stretched myself, pretending to not care. But I did care a lot as I surreptitiously took a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
"Remind me again, I'm doing this all for a boy?" I asked Ally, realizing how silly I sounded.
"It's all worth it. Now, take a look at the mirror." She turned my chin towards the mirror and I stared at my reflection properly this time.
I blinked and the unrecognizable girl in the mirror blinked back at me.
My yellow dress which was a few inches above my knees was quite pretty. It had these dainty, golden flower like embroidery which reminded me of the one Emma Stone wore in La La Land. My straight hair felt smooth and silky between my fingers. My once bushy eyebrows were now perfectly shaped and the light makeup made my face glow.
I didn't look pretty or beautiful, I looked radiant like the gauzy sun.
Ally dabbed some powdery stuff on my chin and clicked her tongue."Don't lick the lipstick, it suits you. You're ready to go."
"Fine and I'm not wearing your sandals. I'm wearing my sneakers," I declared and before Ally could protest, I continued, "Besides, your sandals wouldn't even fit me. You have a clown feet so the sandals are all stretched out. Not my fault."
"Okay then, off you go. Be all quirky you want. Clark's in their mansion, but Zach wouldn't allow you to go there. So you sneak out and travel by taxi," Ally adviced and patted my back in mock encouragement.
"Sure," I chimed in and confidently walked out.